Sarah Robinson is the author of several adult contemporary romance series, including the Kavanagh Legends series. Her latest book, Saving a Legend, releases today, and Sarah talks with us about creating the world of MMA and the Kavanagh family.
Sarah Robinson is a native of the Washington, DC area and has both her Bachelors and Masters Degrees in criminal psychology. She is newly married to a local police officer, Justin, who is just as much of an animal rescue enthusiast as she is. Together, they own a zoo of rescues, including everything from mammals to reptiles to marsupials, as well as volunteering and fostering for multiple animal shelters.
Sarah Robinson first started her writing career as a published poet throughout high school and college, winning several awards and being published in several literary journals. Never expecting to make a career of it, a freelancing Craigslist job accidentally introduced her to the world of book publishing. Lengthening her writing from poetry to novels, Robinson published her first book through a small press publisher, before moving into self-publishing, and then finally being picked up by Penguin Random House two years later. She is currently contracted with Loveswept for a contemporary romance series, Kavanagh Legends, that surrounds a tight knit Irish family of MMA fighters in the Bronx. She is also exploring the arena of women’s fiction and has a lot of exciting things planned for the next few years!
Tell us five random facts about yourself.
- I’ve had the same meal for my birthday for the majority of my life — my grandmother’s roast beef and gravy with green beans and mashed potatoes!
- I can flip my tongue entirely over.
- I’m more than a little obsessed with the Kardashians, but Kanye West has ruined it for me.
- My husband and I met online, and got married less than a year later.
- I got a Masters in psychology and became a counselor for a few years before I ever decided to write a book.
Describe your novel in five words.
Oh man! This is so hard! Let’s try: Sweet and sexy second chances.
Why did you choose to write about MMA?
I love writing about alpha males — men who are tough, know what they want, and go get it. To me, that means rugged and fierce, and what’s more fierce then fighting for sport? When I watch a match, it’s usually peeking between my fingers, because it’s terrifying! However, there’s no denying the level of testosterone and heat that emanates from a fighter. It makes the perfect hero for an alpha romance novel.
What kind of research did you have to do to write this novel?
This novel deals with a child with special needs, so it did take a vast amount of research. Most of my initial research was done from my educational background as a counselor, to reading the DSM-5, to searching through numerous journal articles. However, as I was writing, I went a step further and had half a dozen mothers of children with special needs read it and help me stay super accurate. Thankfully, these women were amazing to me and I learned so much from them. It’s entirely thanks to them that Shea is already a reader favorite.
What are the challenges of writing families such as the Kavanaghs?
The biggest challenge is having so many people in a scene. Every book has a Sunday Dinner, a tradition in the Kavanagh family, and while it’s one of my favorite and most fun scenes, it’s hard to bounce around so many characters without the dialogue getting muddy. Other than that, it’s really not too hard because I grew up in a large family and it’s second nature to me. I totally love it, and I will probably continue to use big families in most of my novels in the future!
What is the writing process like for you?
I tend to write best somewhere else — like Starbucks or the library! But most of the time, I just sit with my laptop on the couch or at my dining room table and open up Scrivener, a software for writers, and get down to it! I normally have a glass of water with me, or coffee, or wine, and some almonds to snack on!
What one YA novel do you wish you had when you were a teen?
I always read mystery novels growing up. It was one of my favorite things, trying to figure out whodunit! Then I started writing poetry, and even was recognized by being published in some literary magazines, and all of it kind of revolved around love. So, I ended up moving into romance novels, and just fell in love! By that time, I was in college and so new adult and contemporary romance were more my speed. If I had to choose, I’d choose Colleen Hoover books (I think she does both YA and NA) because I read everything she writes. She’s always fantastic and never fails to deliver a unique story!
What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on several things! I’m finishing a non-romance fiction novel, starting on the fourth book in the Kavanagh series, and finishing a standalone military romance that I hope to be self-publishing this fall! I seriously have the best job ever!
Fill in the blank
If I weren’t a writer I would be a therapist, like I went to school for.
If I could have one supernatural power it would be invisibility, so I could spy on strangers.
My Hollywood crush is Channing Tatum and Vin Diesel.
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